Chikane: US More Concerned with SA Stance on ‘Palestinian Genocide’ Than Land Reform Policies

The ANC veteran believes the Trump administration is retaliating for Pretoria’s decision to take the Israeli government to the International Court of Justice in 2024.

ANC veteran Frank Chikane. Picture: X.com/MYANC

JOHANNESBURG - African National Congress (ANC) veteran Frank Chikane believes the United States (US) is not concerned with South Africa’s land reform policies but is instead more upset about the country’s stance on what he termed the genocide of Palestinian people.  

Chikane believes Donald Trump’s administration is retaliating for Pretoria’s decision to take the Israeli government to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2024.

Chikane made the comments in response to Trump’s decision to sign an executive order halting all aid to South Africa.  

The reverend is among ANC leaders who have been defending the Palestinian cause for years.  

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's decision to skip the G20 finance ministers' meeting in Johannesburg has further highlighted that diplomatic tensions between the White House and the Union Buildings are far from being resolved.  

But Chikane argued that the Trump administration should stop framing the issue as being about the Land Expropriation Act and instead recognise it as a matter rooted in the Middle East conflict.  

Chikane believes the US is frustrated with Pretoria for standing firm and publicly criticising Israel's treatment of Palestinians.  

“If they want to use presidential orders to punish us for standing for justice, then it’s not a dispute, it’s about punishing people who stand for justice. There should have never been a presidential order before there are diplomatic changes in this matter.”  

Chikane chairs the Anti-Apartheid Conference for Palestine, which primarily seeks to speak up against Israel’s mistreatment of the Palestinian people.  

US ENGAGEMENT THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA QUESTIONED

There are growing suggestions of an ulterior motive behind the US government's failure to express its views on South African issues through diplomatic channels.  

Chikane has questioned why the Trump administration has been conveying discontent with South Africa on social media instead of diplomatically.  

This is in response to US President Donald Trump’s recent posts on X, claiming the government has been facilitating land grabs against a specific class of South Africans.  

Chikane said Pretoria and Washington often engage through diplomatic channels and has questioned why this time they were never put to use.  

“A superpower communicates through Twitter, and you hear from Twitter that this is the decision, and the whole country debates this matter, but it has not come through the diplomatic channels.”  

He believes the South African government has handled the situation well by responding to the Trump administration diplomatically rather than through social media.  

“You don’t expect the president to join at that level and engage at that level. We have got diplomatic channels, and we should let it work at that level. You don’t solve the problem by making more noise.”  

During his State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Cyril Ramaphosa committed to sending a delegation to the US to state its position on key legislation, including the Expropriation Act.